Getaround takes the BBMG Collective Prize

Getaround wants to allow car owners to make money on their idle vehicles while easing traffic congestion and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

On Wednesday, the Bay Area startup got a boost in bringing its peer-to-peer carsharing service to the masses. Marketing firm BBMG and Sustainable Industries named Getaround the winner of The BBMG Collective Prize, a $100,000 package of in-kind brand innovation and consumer research services from BBMG.

Currently in beta, Getaround allows car owners to rent out their vehicles by the hour or day, via a small hardware kit installed in the vehicle and an iPhone app or the company’s website. The company handles insurance, facilitates payment and collects a portion of rental fees. It estimates that each shared car has the potential to remove 10 cars from the road and reduce vehicle miles traveled by more than 40 percent.

“Innovative, mission-driven companies like Getaround have the potential to scale sustainability – and change the world,” Mitch Baranowski, BBMG founding partner and chief creative officer, said in a statement. “But they can’t succeed without effectively engaging the new consumer; and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to help them do just that.”

Getaround was chosen from eight finalists by a panel of industry experts who considered the clarity of the companies’ business objectives, the potential sustainability impacts and the commitment of the applicant teams, among other criteria.

PeopleTowels, which makes a sustainable alternative to disposable paper towels, was selected as the winner of the contest's Readers’ Choice Award by Sustainable Industries’ audience.